I am an explorer. As an adoptee, I have explored the depths of my soul to find a meaning to the earliest parts of my history. I have ventured out, and within, to seek unknown parts of myself. I have tracked many a mile to uncover my identity and to dismantle the titles given to me by others. Titles that did not serve me in a positive life outcome. I believe that all adoptees are explorers. In some way, we are all searching, seeking, and looking for answers to who we are and why we’re here. We’re trackers of truth. At some moment in our lives, a severing took place that catapulted us into a situation we had no control over. Free falling — or so it seemed — we landed into lives that we were not born of, but were destined for. Earlier worlds unravel and somewhere in our distant minds, our first families are kept as a memory. Reunion, or the thought of reunification, gets stored in a mental file called fantasy. A place where we probe the “what if” of someday reconnecting with birth family. Sometimes, fantasy becomes reality and we find ourselves face-to-face with that unraveled world. A world that — on some level — unnerves us and, at the same time, delights our senses. Might someone, connected to us by DNA, offer us the gift of coloring in all those pieces of ourselves left blank? Could members of our birth family fill in the holes within us left hollow by abandonment? Secretly, we hope so. And, quietly, we pray. I did. I prayed, and I hoped. For years, I wanted someone to help me understand the mystery of my story — a mystery that held me distant from myself. Therefore, I put much stock into the idea of a reunion as a vehicle to aide me in arriving at my truth. And, so I wrote a letter while in my teens. It was addressed to my birthmother in England. I did not have her physical address — only her name. I sent the letter to the main office of the Royal Air Force, where I knew that my mum’s husband once served. The letter began something like this: If you have opened this envelope, I want to say thank you. If you are reading my words, I want you to promise not to throw this letter away. You see, I need an angel right now… I went on to briefly explain my situation and the story of my earliest life. I wrote how desperately I needed to find my birthmother in order to reunite and, as was my prayer, to heal what had been broken inside. Read more: http://michellemadridbranch.com/reuniting-worlds-one-adoptees-thoughts-on-birth-family-reunification/ [img]https://adoption.com/community/PF.Base/file/attachment/2018/02/49a3eb61bc69e5de238f5f965e9e11bc_view.jpg[/img]

We are Mara & James from NY and we are hoping to grow our family 1 more time through adoption. Our family includes a stay at home mom, a devoted hard working dad and two 5 year olds who are hoping for a baby brother or sister. We are hoping to meet an expectant mom looking to make an adoption plan through our own connections and networking and appreciate everyone's help in liking and sharing our posts. jamesandmara2adopt@gmail.com www.jamesandmara2adopt.wordpress.com facebook.com/wehope2adopt call us toll free: 844-279-6652 https://mybabysfamily.com/JamesandMara

Some of you may already know that we are adopting our first child here in Zambia. I have had so many people asking questions about the process, and time just seems to be whizzing by (most days!) as things are moving rather quickly in these initial stages. I decided to share where we are at, for our own memories sake, to keep friends and family updated, but also to encourage anyone out there who is on a similar journey. I am a reader, and so I have loved reading of other peoples experiences, and seeing what God is doing in peoples lives through adoption. We started our adoption process in April 2020, as in, we made the decision to find out what our options were. We had hit a few bumps along the road on having biological children, and whilst we have a solution, and we can have biological kids, I just felt God pointing us to adoption. It is so important to me that people understand that adoption is not a plan B, it is not second best, it is not a last resort. It is our first choice. [img]https://adoption.com/community/PF.Base/file/attachment/2020/11/f93ffb92cd5a21ced1af21a9d5497089_view.png[/img] We got in touch with the social workers at House of Moses mid April, as they were the orphanage in Lusaka that friends of ours used. Zambia is different in that they do not use agencies here, you work directly with government social workers and orphanages. They confirmed that as expats we could adopt, which was a huge relief! We were given a list of documents we needed to get together along with a letter to addressed to social welfare explaining why we want to adopt and our request (age, gender, health). Please remember, this is our experience of adoption in Zambia, and every case might not look the same and the systems may change. Documents we needed to submit: NRC Bank statement/payslip Reference letters Police clearance Marriage certificate Medical report (only at government hospital) Early May, we then had our interview (also referred to as a home study/home assessment), with our social worker at House of Moses. Because we live outside of Lusaka, they did this on Zoom. It was about two hours long, very intensive! Which was really encouraging at how thorough they are. It was such a comfort to me that they are Christian, and were also so sensitive towards us as we had to share some difficult information from our pasts. It is not often you find yourself telling someone your entire history from birth! We still had to get our police clearance and medical report done, this was delayed purely from our own schedules as well as Covid. But we eventually got it done and we could then have our next visit. On the 10th June our social worker, Elizabeth Mzeche, here in Mazabuka came to our house to do the home visit and go through all our paperwork and application. We had a couple of changes to make and then our application was delivered to Lusaka on the 21st June. We had initially been told it could take anything between 2-4 weeks, but that there might be delays to Covid. Catch phrase of 2020! Naturally, as soon as we hit the end of 4 weeks I got in contact to see if there was any news, which there was none. Our social workers have been so kind and gracious towards me, with all my questions, and I am so grateful for Gods presence in all this. Then, completely out of the blue, on the 6th August, I received a message from Elizabeth asking if I had received my copy of the approval letter as she had just received hers. I could not believe it, so unexpected, but what was just miraculous, was the letter was dated 24th June, which means our application was processed and approved in less than 3 days?! That is a miracle, nothing happens that quickly, ever? So it was either waiting to be printed, to be taken to a different desk, to be taken to be signed, and then sent out for delivery, and or floated about somewhere in the postal system. Who knows where the delay was, but quite frankly, I am so thankful to God for the miracle! Our name has been added to the list of families wanting to adopt, and now, we wait to be matched to a baby. Our request was a boy or girl, under 12 months of age, as young as possible! They work with the Child Protection Unit to do family tracing on the child, then once that is done, a police clearance report is written to clear the child for adoption. So that will all take time. Hopefully, in the not to distant future, we will get the call to say we can go meet our child! We then have to spend some time with the child at the orphanage to go through a bonding/attachment period. Once that is done, then we get to take our baby home on a 3 month fostering agreement. Once that is done, then we do the adoption paperwork. It is all quite a process! I had a bit of a wobble around the time of our application being submitted, there were just so many unknowns and not knowing if I would be holding a baby in 2 months or 12 months or more was freaking me out. But I realised that I could ruin this season by allowing myself to be consumed with mistrust, impatience, doubt, fear, ingratitude, and even what was probably pride and selfishness. I didn’t want to look back on this season of my life and see how I had missed the happiness because I was being so self focussed. So I gave it all to God, and He provided me with such a peace and patience which I am so grateful for. This is a journey, and there have been and will be tough days, but I am keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus in this. Also, I am enjoying our time without kids. I am in a season now where I am looking forward to a bit of chaos in our lives, and even the sleepless nights and endless nappies. I know that it won’t be long before I will find myself wondering what it is like to have time all to ourselves and what on earth were we thinking having kids. But, I also know, having seen it in so many women, that there will will come a time, as our baby grows up, that I will miss the season of chaos. Every season has it’s mix of chaos and bliss. So we are enjoying our time, where we are at now, and I am reading and doing the odd bit of shopping … We would love you to pray with us on this journey. For our hearts, for our marriage, for our baby, for the birth parents, for their salvation and healing, for our social workers. The proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child” could not be more true. [img]https://adoption.com/community/PF.Base/file/attachment/2020/11/05d076c4e9f65a735c21f614113dc58d_view.png[/img] If you have questions about adoption, please do ask me, or someone, or Google. Adoption has never been a foreign concept to us, but I appreciate that for many people this is not the case, and there are questions. But don’t leave those questions unasked, not just for your sake, but for everyone’s. x A common, often unasked, question: “How will you love a child that is not your ‘own’?” They are my own, they just didn’t come from my body. I will love them the same way I love my husband, who is also not a blood relative. By choosing to, every day, for the rest of our lives.

Am Cynthia 24 of Age willingly to be adopted by Family outside Nigeria here's my email address : cynthiaokonkwo63@gmail.com Please 🙏

My name at birth was antoinette louise kernats, I was born at Misericordia hosp. in wauwatosa,wisc. on 3-9-1949 I was adopted by Charles and Anne yurkievich in 1950 and have lived in Kenosha Wisc. all my life. I was told that my mother was called "Indian Rose" and my fathers name could be paul Kernats. Any info from any one would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

I love coming to this place in the last 9 or so years it has been my retreat ....... what I have learned has overwhelmbed me at times. The friends I have made makes me feel like I belong someplace ..... I thank you Chickie Donna Mar........ MN you helped me grow them BALLS /.........Dkm you showed me life can be normal having all your kids live in the same house. I know I can be so harsh about adoption sometimes and I dont mean to be. But I think that all parts of the triad need to remember that they are a part of something else weather by choice or by chance...

I know that it was a closed adoption but do you? I worry that your adopting parents were not honest; or maybe, you know that you are adopted and don't care to know... I don't know, but I do know that one day I will finally see you. Between me and Glen (your little brother) you have 4 nieces and 2 nephews. My big sister, I love the way that sounds. Not only does our mother have an emptiness but I do as well. I have always imagined you to be as beautiful as our mother and I know that if I ever do see you, I will be able to pick you out from a crowd. I imagine that you have dark deep brown eyes and dark hair with olive complextion and I imagine you to look just like our mother. I just want you to know that our mom was very young and I believe that she made the best decision for you and for herself, I know that she wanted you to have a good life. A life that she could not offer you at the age of 15. Maybe i am speaking on be-half of our mother...... but, we just want to know if your life turned out to be okay.... and want to know if you are okay.... and want you to know that we love you and searching for you everday and never will stop.... I hope you understand and I hope that you Know that I Love You.... Love Always-Your Sister, Heidi Harris Searching:april 15 1975..Female.. Lakeland,Florida.. Bm-Stebbins

Feeling apprehensive about application and credit application for ANLC's services. I need more information and research. My anal side is kicking in... but I am apprehensive too. I don't want to be sad and disappointed again...

This past week, I attended a course about post adoption depression. The symptoms can be easily compared with post partum depression. This type of depression has not been fully explored. Post adoption depression has long existed without being mentioned outside of the immediate circles of discussion which mostly happened behind closed doors. It can be asked if depression is generational. Although there is no doubt that depression can extend through family branches there are unanswered questions about post adoption depression. Adoption dates are forgotten over time. The memories surrounding adoption that were once part of daily lives eventually fade. What genetic footprints are carried through generations in the form of emotions is a question that is not answered. Those who were once part of an adopton triangle all spent time looking at the same scene from different views. The birth mother loved the season that brought falling leaves across the landscape. Walking through a shaker scene of colors, she felt alone in her recent memories which included parting with her newly born child. The adoptive mother walked along a road filled with gravel, weeds and wildflowers. The baby was with her resting quietly in a carrier. Their paths did not intertwine but were not far from one another.

Well, I guess my parents are okay with me searching for My Biological parents. Mom tells me what she remembers. It has been almost 42 years. She told me again today what she could remember. I do wonder how my life would be different if I had not been adopted. But, I have no complaints. I have a loving, supportive, family that has always been there for me. So I consider myself lucky to have been adopted.

hello, I am Highhopes33 our journey begins in 2003, we tried to start a family with no luck, went for Hysterscopy to check to see what was wrong. Stage four endometrosis they went in and removed some but, was not able to remove all of it, so I had the second surgery done by a infertility doc who said I used every tool I had and you have the worst case I have ever seen. I went on numerous drugs to help with the horrible pain, birth control pills, several rounds of lupron, and came to the discision I was sick and tired of being sick and tired and had a total hystorectomy done on July13, 2009. was never able to have kids from all the damage the endometrosis had caused, it really took over my life and body, I never could figure out why I had to have it.. I was the one who always wanted a house full of kids. so I have given my infertility to God, and have chose to do domestic adoption to start our family. we are at peace with our decison to be parents through adoption. and are very excited!!! can't wait till we get a call about a placement. well we have completed our homestudy and our ready to be parents have been waiting about two years, I don't understand why it is taking so long we have been in contact with our adoption social worker. we are getting ready to redo some of our paper work for the child we will accept. we plan on making the age range older up to around age 12. older children need homes just as much as newborns or infants.

I have been wondering why I should adopt instead of having my own child. What are some reasons to adopt?

By Trace A. DeMeyer (aka Laura Jean Thrall-Bland) Ok, you may remember me writing on my blog I wanted my adoption file. (My Top 5 ReasonsӔ, www.splitfeathers.blogspot.com) Back in September I had mentioned this to Jackie, who I visited on my recent mini-book-tour. Jackie helped Ben get his adoption file so she gave me the email for the state office in Madison, Wisconsin. I live in Massachusetts so this was super-convenient. Id simply write an email! Wisconsin, by law, allows adoptees in a closed adoption (like mine) to request and receive their non-identifying information. You simply fill out their form and request it (and pay them $75 an hour). Let me clarify: your non-identifying information is a bit of history with no names. It will not help you locate your tribe or your missing natural parent(s). In fact, itҒs so vague, its really no help at all! I decided to request my identifying information (aka the real deal, my sealed adoption file.) They emailed me that I would need a court order. I needed to fill out their form, have it notarized and mail it back to them so I did. Within a month, I spoke to a woman on the phone who proceeded to fill out the paperwork for a court order. She would present it to the judge and I didnҒt need to be there. Now this was weird. She asked me why I wanted my file. Why was this so hard for me? I have a million reasons. But I didnt know what the judge wanted me to say. What was a good reason? I said I wanted my adoption file to help me understand my early history and where I was the first months of my life: that is what I think she wrote down. (I told her I was nervous). Ok, IҒm sure the most used reason for such a request is the need for family medical history. (I could have said I was nervous dating strangers who might be my real brothers but this was too twisted a reason for a judge. And Im married.) There are many good reasons, yes. But what did the judge want to hear? I didnҒt know. If the judge read my form, hed see I already knew the names of both my natural parents. (Remember I read my adoption file when I was 22.) Heck I knew their birthdays and when each of them died. So like all adoptees, I waited and prayed. The un-named judge would review my request. He or she could deny me. But the judge didnҒt. Because I wrote my birth parents are deceased that is why I believe the judge granted my request. It֒s only a guess. And if they considered my age 54, I֒m no kid. Maybe that is why. So this white envelope arrived the day after Thanksgiving and I was too emotional to open it. Yes, I was a wreck! I knew it would hit me like a ton of bricks. It did. My friend met me for breakfast on Sunday morning and since Loud Blood is an adoptee, she said she would read it to me. That was better, we thought. It was best to do this with a friend who was also adopted. So she read and I cried (in a restaurant!). The worst part was not my crying. There was family history on one page and a small post-it note that said the next part was not on microfilm. I did not receive the entire context and testimony my natural mother Helen gave to the social workers. So I am processing that I am the daughter of Helen - who, by the way, did want to keep me. This broke me up so hard - my emotions are still ragged and raw. It was 1956 and she was not able to keep me, no way. So, if someone in Wisconsin does want to do this - and if they need tribal information - it is on the form in Wisconsin and the only way an adoptee can do this is through a court order. And pay $75 per hour. When I was 22, Id asked a judge to read my file but the one I have now (this file) is different than the one he let me read. He had more legal paperwork in his file. The effect on me now is greater - plus my fathers version was different than my mothers. One of the reasons I didnҒt mention: I was in a foster home. Who were they? Now I have their name and address. That was huge for me. Now I know where I was the first days and months of my life. I feel so fortunate, so blessed I was able to get my adoption file when so many are still in the dark about their identity and name. Every adoptee on the planet deserves this information, absolutely. And it's criminal that we can't in all but 6 states in the USA. PS: I do not have a copy of my OBC- original birth certificate. Wisconsin said I'd have to get it from Minnesota where I was born. Minnesota is a sealed record state so I may never see it. Lauren, blogger at Baby Love Child, emailed: 6 states have unrestricted access- Alaska and Kansas never sealed, Oregon was opened by the ballot measure appealed up through the courts; (Bastard Nation, among others, were very key to sparking effort) Alabama, New Hampshire and Maine all opened legislatively. The other conditional access states, IL, TN, & DE all continue to treat adoptees as second class citizens, forcing them to jump through hoops like confidential intermediary systems and parental vetoes. The states and their subcontractors- often religiously based maintain control and dole out whatever number as they see fit. TN has actually criminalized contact if a veto was signed. OH, MI, and MA all have tri-black hole systems, that grant access to some at the direct cost of access for others. None of them can be considered "open records" states.

We are so thankful we have embarked on the foster-to-adopt journey! For more info., please check out my blog -- fosteradoptmommy.blogspot.com Blessings!!!

my husband and i are beginning to look into international adoption. we legally married last year, however, have been in domestic partnership since beginning of 2009. We started our research, but the amount of information is overwhelming. Does anyone have any suggestions what countries we should be looking at or retrogradations for international adoption agencies - I am 31 years old and my husband is 40. Looking forward to any information anyone is willing to share.

Whether or not you are pro choice or pro life, adoption always comes into the issue. Adoption is not a means of birth control and for those who say adoption is better should be aware that it causes negative effects to the child and the birth mother. Abortion also causes grief for the mother and death for the fetus in a beginning stage of life. Birth control and sex education in young people is the only tool in stopping unwanted pregnancy. Obviously teaching your children to wait until marriage is a great idea, but in today's society it is not effective. Adoption is a lose-lose situation except for the hopeful adoptive parents. Infertility is one of the main reason for adopting and adoptive parents aren't always told adopting a child is not the same as having your own. Adoption removes a child from one family and places him in another and this can have lasting emotional effects. Adopted children have needs above and beyond biological children. It can be profoundly painful to the adoptee and to their descendants. These effects include : 1. The trauma of being separated from at birth will be present throughout every aspect of child's life. The child will experience the mother's loss as the psychological death of his mother. This is a life long trauma. The brain reacts to stress in the womb and after birth and wires itself differently as the baby grows. This knowledge is recent as only now are we starting to study the effects of stress during infancy. 2. The child will think about his birth parents everyday. This is true with knowing the parents and without in open and closed adoptions. When the child is asked who she looks like, what time she was born or who was there at the delivery room...all these questions cause the child to realize that she is different. There is a shame and stigma from past adoption practices in history that all members of the adoption " triad" must deal with. 3. As the child becomes an adolescent he will have great difficulty establishing a sense of self because he will have no sense of his true history or heritage. He will not know who is supposed to be because he will not know his true origins if the adoption is closed or semi open. Not knowing another biological relative makes one feel like a misfit. The first relative most adoptees meet is their own child. The birth of a child in an adoptees life always brings the question..."how could I give this baby away"? 4. As current laws stand, the child may not have access to his medical history or birth records. This is being fought by adoptee rights groups and laws are slowly changing. Adoptees even well into adulthood are denied the basic human right of knowing who put them here and why. Women who have given away children usually have great difficulties in getting on with their lives and endure psychological problems stemming from the separation including: grief, relationship difficulties, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and secondary infertility.Contrary to popular belief these women don't go on with their lives like nothing ever happened. The same thing can be said for women who have abortions. So you see it is not an easy decision. Being poor, unwed, young or not having adequate resources to raise a child should not be a reason to abort or surrender. There is help out there for women to keep their babies and keep families intact. Guardianship, kinship placement or third party help should be explored with infant adoption as a last resort. If adoption is the choice, the adoption should be open which research finds is in the best interest of the mother and child.

It's hard to imagine that anyone would want to exploit those who are looking to grow their family through adoption. Unfortunately adoption fraud and adoption scams and are very real. Sometimes these are done for money, while some are just to exploit emotions. No matter what the motivation, they are painful and can be devastating both emotionally and financially. When you put yourself out there for people to find, you also become vulnerable and can possibly become the target of an adoption scam. How do you avoid adoption scams? There are a number of simple ways that you can decrease your chances of becoming a victim of an adoption scam. One of the best things that you can do if you have your own adoption website or blog, is to have some sort of website tracker running on it. There is a great free tracker offered from Site Meter. A good website tracker will allow you to see where your site visitors are coming from. There are currently a number of adoption scams coming out of Cameroon. The the US Embassy even has a warning about Cameroon [url=http://www.adoptionscams.net/index.html]adoption scams[/url] on their website. With a website tracker, you can check and see where your site visitors come from each day. This is a great tool to check when you receive an email about a potential adoption situation. If you get news of an adoption situation that seems a bit odd, or too good to be true, you can check your website tracker, and if someone from Cameroon was on your website at the time the email was sent to you, then you likely have received an adoption scam email. A very quick and easy thing to do is to simply Google the email address and/or name of the person who has contacted you. Sometimes you will find results that point to previous adoption scams, or other types of money making activities online. It's best to run your search through a few different search engines as each may have slightly different results. It is also important to utilize your adoption attorney and/or adoption agency. Agencies and attorneys have been through countless adoption experiences, and may be able to spot red flags that are not quite as obvious to you. An attorney or agency may even recognize a certain name or adoption scenario as a scam that they have seen before. Often times an adoption scammer will not want to speak with an agency or attorney, and when faced with doing so, may take their scam elsewhere. There are however adoption scammers who will try to work their scam on agencies and attorneys, so due diligence is still important.

You can adopt from Ukraine with an agency or independent of an agency. Two families [here] used Dillon for their Ukrainian adoption. Two families did it without an agency. The average time frame from start to finish is about 10 to 11 months. However, I know of a woman who adopted after 3 months of work. This is very rare and you have to be very organized. Agency vs. independent adoption.. It all depends on what you feel comfortable with. In a nutshell: * Agency = service provided (hand holding) + money (from 12,000 to 25,000 total) * Independent = invest personal time and effort and have no one to blame for your screw ups (I had to re-do my health letter 3 times) + money (from 8,000 to 12,000 total cost) The 4 biggest ticket items for the Ukraine adoption are home study, dossier authentication, airline tickets and facilitator. The facilitator is hired to help with the Ukrainian paperwork/judge/orphanage system. They translator etc... There is a system to hiring a facilitator.

Major issues triggered by adoption are loss, rejection, guilt and grief. Identity crisis can trouble the adoptee. Many of the issues intrinsic to the adoption experience come together when the adoptee reaches adolescence. At this time there is an acute awareness of being adopted. There is a drive toward liberation accompanied by the determination to develop ones own identity. Adoption is a life stressor affecting the overall personality of an individual and has a major impact on the rest of his or her life. Attention deficit disorders, eating disorder, alcohol abuse can be seen in some adoptees. There is a tendency to seek for alternative lifestyles. Worse of all is the tendency to commit suicide that prevails in an adoptee. Statistics says that adopted children are represented with learning disabilities and organic brain syndrome. Adopted children are shown to be vulnerable. Adopted children know they were not involved in the decision of adoption and thus realize that they had no control over loss of their birth family and the choice of the adoptive family. It is observed that adoptees at their teen age never feel close to anyone. Some long for their birthmother. Adopted children feel insecure because they are questioned about their identity. They lose an identity and then borrow one from the adopting family. Birthparents being parents are not parents whereas adoptive parents suddenly become their parents. This is when identity crisis is born. Separation from his or her biological parents affects the adoptee on a profound level.

06-Jun-2000 A resident had her baby and decided to keep it. She left last night. She said looking at her baby for the first time was like falling in love. Another girl left after deciding to keep her baby and another resident almost changed her mind and left. My suite mate had her baby. My boss was in labor last night. I start full-time tomorrow just for the month of June. I get another sonogram the 19th. Tonight my best friend and I start prenatals. She's going to be my labor coach along with the CBC. My niece had her baby, a boy. 11-Jun-2000 We had a new girl come in Friday and give birth today. I picked your adoptive family. My boss had her baby. I talked to your APs for the first time Thursday night for almost an hour. They only live two hours away, are in their late 30s, and have a 2 1/2 year old little boy. 14-Jun-2000 I wrote out some one-line answers regarding adoption questions as people ask me so I can better prepare myself. 16-Jun-2000 I made up a list of good childhood memories to give to my AP mom for you to read one day. Things like making my footprints in the driveway, eating honeysuckles and muskey dimes, and my sister's spookhouse. 17-Jun-2000 I met your APs for the first time last night! I gave them my profile book, the frame, and pin. They gave me a gift and two cards. Your AP mom's taking me to my sonogram Monday. Their little boy's talking about being a big brother and helping his mom with diapers and reading to you. 18-Jun-2000 Another resident signed papers today. Your AP mom called. She's taking me to my sonogram in the morning. I'm moving my cat tomorrow. Family and friends keep asking if I'm still going through with it. 20-Jun-2000 I've realized why I may have gotten pregnant. Maybe it's to give me something to live for since I never had anything to live for, or to give a gift of myself, to realize I have something valuable to give that something that came from me can be good. My sister emailed me that she didn't think she could deal with baby pictures and an update only. 24-Jun-2000 My sister's coming July 28th for the weekend. Another girl had her baby yesterday. Your APs named you McKenna Hope. They sent me three emails yesterday. I told my sister I probably wouldn't go into labor when she comes. More of this Feature January 2000 Օ February 2000 March 2000 Օ April 2000 May 2000 June 2000 Օ July 2000 August 2000 Related Resources Օ Expectant Parent Resources Placing a Child: Fear Օ Real People: Birth Mothers 25-Jun-2000 Thinking about you. Another resident signed papers today. She spent two hours with her baby and will get to see her two more days then that's it. I keep reading to you. They say at this stage you can hear my voice. I know when it's over I'll wish you were still inside me.